Michigan primary voters in Berrien County struggle to make their votes count

January 15, 2008|By TROY KEHOE WSBT-TV Reporter

NILES Â? Predictions held true at some precincts as some Michigan voters struggled to understand incomplete ballots and make their vote count.

Michigan election workers say voter turnout could fall below the predicted 20 percent. By late afternoon, both Berrien and Cass Counties reported turnouts hovering around 10 percent. But snow in some areas may only be one reason why. No problems were reported at polling places in Berrien and Cass counties. But election workers have seen a steady stream of questions, and answering them proved to be another challenge altogether.

Tuesday was opening day at the brand new Harvest of Blessings Soup Kitchen in Niles, and along with the spoonfuls of chili and fruit salad, there was plenty of talk.

It was all on one subject Â? MichiganÂ?s slumping economy, and who might step up to fix it.

Â?Every day in this community there's a company going out of business,Â? said one Harvest of Blessings Soup Kitchen volunteer.

"We need somebody that's going to be able to change things that are in place now that maybe aren't benefiting the people,Â? said Elijah Thompson, another volunteer.

It's the reason some soup kitchen volunteers all went to the polls before cutting the ribbon.

ItÂ?s the same reason Katie Paquette did.

"It's my duty. It's my job!Â? she told WSBT News.

But when she got there, she couldn't find all the Democratic candidates on the ballot, so she asked a simple question:

"Why am I even doing this?Â? she asked. Â?If the people I'm really interested in aren't on it, why am I voting?"

And Katie wasn't alone.

"They want to know why they can't do a write-in,Â? explained Niles City Clerk Ruth Harte. Â?They're doubtful about the uncommitted slot."

That's why in many cases poll workers stepped in to help.

But here's the catch:

"They're given a script by the Michigan Secretary of State, and definitely what they can say and what they cannot,Â? said Harte.

For some, that only added to the confusion.

"It did bother me,Â? one voter told WSBT News.

Still, some aren't waiting for the polls to close at 8 p.m. for change.

"Actions speak louder than words, and we want to act,Â? Thompson said.

And what form that action will take will be decided once the polls close.

It shouldn't take long to count the votes. All ballots with a candidate written in will be thrown out, because there are no officially certified write-in candidates.

But Democratic ballots marked "uncommitted" will still count, if they get at least 15 percent of the vote.

If that happens, the slate will be wiped clean, and any candidate Â? including Senator Hillary Clinton Â? who is on the ballot can compete for Michigan's delegates at the national convention.